सत्त्ववान् सात्त्विक: सत्य: सत्यधर्मपरायण: । अभिप्राय: प्रियाहों5र्ह: प्रियकृत् प्रीतिवर्धन:
sattvavān sāttvikaḥ satyaḥ satyadharmaparāyaṇaḥ | abhiprāyaḥ priyāhaḥ arhaḥ priyakṛt prītivardhanaḥ ||
Bhīṣma said: “He is endowed with inner strength and excellence; he is sāttvika in nature; he is truth itself—one who speaks truth and stands firmly upon dharma. He is the cherished aim of the loving; fit to be offered what is most dear; worthy of reverence by all; one who does what is pleasing to his devotees; and one who increases the love of those who love him.”
भीष्म उवाच
The verse praises an ideal ethical-spiritual character: one grounded in sattva (purity and clarity), unwavering in truthfulness, established in dharma, worthy of honor, and capable of nurturing devotion and affection in others through pleasing, beneficent conduct.
In Anuśāsana Parva, Bhīṣma continues his instruction on dharma and exemplary conduct. Here he enumerates laudatory attributes of a supremely virtuous figure—describing the kind of person (or revered ideal) who is truthful, dharma-centered, beloved by devotees, and worthy of worship.